Italy orders health study on U.S. military satellite station

11/03/2013

Protests stir over MUOS in Sicily

Rome, March 11 - The Italian cabinet and Sicily's
regional government on Monday said an independent study would be
carried out on the impact on health and the environment of a new
high-frequency U.S. military satellite station in the Sicilian
town of Niscemi.
The central and local governments, the premier's office
said in a statement, agreed "to respond to the concern of local
populations on the impact on the environment and health
following work to modernize and empower the installations".
An independent research centre will be tasked with
performing the study and the installation of satellite antennae
will be blocked until the results of the research are known.
The Superior Institute of Health or another agency with the
World Health Organization will look into the impact of
electromagnetic waves from the station, the premier's office
said.
The government also announced it would set up a system to
constantly monitor the site.
The planned station is part of the Mobile User Objective
System (MUOS), a high-frequency military communications network
and has raised widespread protests in the island.